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Photo: Boštjan Podlogar/STA

President of Slovenia following the Berlin Process Summit: "We need results that send a clear message to the people of candidate countries that the EU wants them within its fold."

President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar attended the Berlin Process Summit at the invitation of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In her statement following the meeting, she emphasised that the active involvement of both Member States and candidate countries is essential to achieving the shared goal of full European integration.

Berlin, 14 Oct 2024

News

This year's meeting of the high-level representatives of the Berlin Process countries is the tenth in a row and took place in Berlin. The meeting was attended by representatives from the countries involved in the process, including Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Austria, France, Croatia, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, Bulgaria and Hungary, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also participated in the talks.

The first part of the meeting focused on regional cooperation and the common regional market, while the second part addressed the green transition and energy connectivity. Before a joint lunch, the heads of state and government met with representatives from the Youth Forum and the Civil Society Forum. Additionally, representatives of the Western Balkan countries signed a new Common Regional Market Action Plan for 2025–2028.

President Pirc Musar stressed that she was pleased with the signing of the document, as it represented a concrete step forward. She also commended Germany's efforts to unblock the Central European Free Trade Agreement. She added: "I am confident that we will find ways to speed up the enlargement process in Slovenia too. Slovenia has extensive experience with European integration, and we have a deep understanding of the Western Balkans region. I hope we can leverage these strengths in our foreign policy. We must continue to foster strategic dialogue, and I want to see results that send a clear message to the people of candidate countries that the EU wants them within its fold."